Build Amphibious HEMTT

bdkw1 said:
Did you lap them and check the pattern?
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Yes, 4 new valves. Wasn’t sure they could be straightened.

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I had new valve guides also, but they seemed to be fine.
 
Are those screw or press in rocker studs? I'd make sure those are still in right and not cracked. The push rods need to be looked over real well too. Hopefully the noodley valve absorbed all the shock.
 
bdkw1 said:
Are those screw or press in rocker studs? I'd make sure those are still in right and not cracked. The push rods need to be looked over real well too. Hopefully the noodley valve absorbed all the shock.
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Not sure what a rocker stud is. The rockers and push rods would not get any shock from a piston hitting a valve. They would still retracted. The con rods could, but they are built like a tank.
 
WaterH said:
So I’ve been waiting all this time for a Cummins valve spring compressor. I couldn’t wait anymore, so I made one in 10 minutes. It worked great.

IMG_2143.jpeg


I just put the head in the press and push it down. I can take the keepers out with a magnet.

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Installing the new valves I just used a tweezers to put in the keepers. It was easy.

I worked all day yesterday and the head is back in. I still have some work before starting and it’s going to be tough because we have a cold wave today. But it should be running in the next couple days.
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I've done similar by chucking up an O2 sensor socket in a drill press., then just using it like an arbor press and pulling the keepers out through the slot. Same idea but probably goes a bit quicker than a hydraulic press.
 
Last edited:
Got it all together last night. Tried to start it and cranked it till the starter was smoking hot. Waited till it cooled down and tried again. That time the oil pressure came up and it spun much easier, but still no start.

Today I went out and tried again. Hot starter and still no start. It would kick like it wanted to start, but just wouldn’t run when I let off the button. I went inside and got on the net for ideas. I found a guy that said a diesel is tough to start after a rebuild because the rings are not seated. He said get it started no matter how you do it. Either and heat will help. Than you should take it out and run it under load. (Dyna would be best) Of course today is the coldest day in years.

I heated the fuel filter with a heat gun and pulled off the intake tube from the intercooler. I cranked the engine while spraying starter fluid in the tube and it started. I quickly installed the tube again while it idled. I had the Delorean blocking the truck in, so I needed to move it first. I opened the garage door and this.

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It hasn’t snowed in 11 years here. This is the first snow the Delorean has seen since I owned it. Anyways, I took the truck out around the yard and then around a country block. It seemed to run good. Kind of hard to tell because it was so loud with all the covers off the motor. The only thing I noticed on the gauges was high EGT and low boost. Maybe the low boost is causing the high EGT. I didn’t see any obvious boost leak. It may be at the removed grid heater. I will check it out Tomorrow.

The snow is like 4” now. If it’s still here tomorrow, I’m going snow wheeling.
 
WaterH said:
Not sure what a rocker stud is. The rockers and push rods would not get any shock from a piston hitting a valve. They would still retracted. The con rods could, but they are built like a tank.
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You need to rethink that, how would the stem of the valve get so bent if the valve was on the seat?
 
H
WaterH said:
Tried the starter and it fired right up. Had to go for a ride.

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This road always has traffic.

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These people were not having a good day.

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I put it in 4x4 and it was very solid, but not as much fun.

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The motor is running good, but definitely the boost is low.

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This pic is for 2BB.

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That looks really fun, I bet that was suprising.
My buddy in Orange Beach shared some pix, pretty crazy.
 
ExWrench said:
Is the power level low, or just the indicated boost PSI?

If the power's good (or better), your "boost" was just air stacking up against the restriction of the failed grid heater.
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Couldn’t tell much in the power in snow. It would just spin the tires. The boost guage was only going to about 8 psi. I hook a test plug on and found a giant leak. I got it fixed now. Havnt tested it yet, but should be back to normal.

CarterKraft said:
You need to rethink that, how would the stem of the valve get so bent if the valve was on the seat?
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The valve was not on the seat, it was on a chunk of metal stuck on the seat when the piston hit it. The rocker and push rod would be retracted to the closed position.
 
WaterH said:
Couldn’t tell much in the power in snow. It would just spin the tires. The boost guage was only going to about 8 psi. I hook a test plug on and found a giant leak. I got it fixed now. Havnt tested it yet, but should be back to normal.


The valve was not on the seat, it was on a chunk of metal stuck on the seat when the piston hit it. The rocker and push rod would be retracted to the closed position.
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I'm not going to CAD that scenario out but it is quite possible there was interference in other parts of the stroke you aren't imagining.
The guys suggestion was to pay close attention to the valvetrain for that cylinder because frequently those components get loaded when they aren't supposed to.
 
CarterKraft said:
I'm not going to CAD that scenario out but it is quite possible there was interference in other parts of the stroke you aren't imagining.
The guys suggestion was to pay close attention to the valvetrain for that cylinder because frequently those components get loaded when they aren't supposed to.
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For the rocker/push rod to have a shock, the camshaft timing would have to be off or the valve shoved further up than the seat. The only other way I can see it happen would be the valve stuck shut and the cam try to push it open.

In any case, it’s together now and it’s not coming apart unless I have a problem. I just bought another 4BT, so I have a back up motor.
 
WaterH said:
For the rocker/push rod to have a shock, the camshaft timing would have to be off or the valve shoved further up than the seat. The only other way I can see it happen would be the valve stuck shut and the cam try to push it open.

In any case, it’s together now and it’s not coming apart unless I have a problem. I just bought another 4BT, so I have a back up motor.
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The overlap part where the valve is open but the piston is not down far enough in the bore is the problem.
IF that 1/2" wide strip is on edge as the piston shows it was then the piston will be 1/2" down in the bore and the valve MIGHT not be fully closed yet.

I wasn't suggesting you have a problem just saying don't dismiss the possibility.
 
CarterKraft said:
The overlap part where the valve is open but the piston is not down far enough in the bore is the problem.
IF that 1/2" wide strip is on edge as the piston shows it was then the piston will be 1/2" down in the bore and the valve MIGHT not be fully closed yet.

I wasn't suggesting you have a problem just saying don't dismiss the possibility.
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Doesn't even need to be on edge. There is only probably .050 between piston and valve as the valve chases the piston down.
 
So I took it for a long drive today. About 30 miles out and 30 back. I opened my “bypass” on the way out and closed it on the way back. The motor runs cooler with it open. In fact, the heater doesn’t work as good. I would say it is interfering in the thermostat operation. But the water temp was low on both trips, so I will need to wait for a warmer day to really test this.

The boost was definitely better, but it seems like there’s less boost for the same work. For example, at a steady 60 mph, before the damage it would be at about 14 psi. Now it runs about 10. Not sure if that means I’m leaking still or the motor is making more power for a given boost.

I still have high EGTs. (Around 1000 at 60 mph) The motor seems to idle smoother, but that maybe imaginary.
 
You had higher boost before because it was stacking up behind the grid heater. I'm guessing your gauge take pressure from before where the grid heater was.
 
Took a long drive yesterday. Doesn’t matter how fast I go, the water temp doesn’t get hot in this weather. (About freezing) My EGT still can get to 12-1300 fairly easy. Not sure if the truck is the same as before the damage. I really need normal temps outside. One thing I can say for sure, my doors leak too much cold air in. I’m amazed my AC can keep up in the summer because my heat sure can’t now.
 
So I got a win today.

Background, ever since my rebuild (if you can call it that) I found the turbo won’t boost 20 psi. I’m not sure how much max boost was before, but I recall close to 30. It was working normal even when my valve was bent, so I don’t think it was a result of the metal going through the engine.

The more likly culprit was me. When I took the turbo off during the fix I got to looking at the waste gate actuator. Here is a pic of it.

IMG_2264.jpeg


The waste gate is held closed by a strong spring. The big knob thing on the right is a diaphragm that will force the spring back to open the gate if the boost is too much. The thing is, I never had too much boost, so it never moves. It is a big useless thing that is in the way. So I thought I would simplify it by locking it shut. I di this with a piece of stainless with two holes. You can see this mod here.

IMG_2263.jpeg


Looks great in theory. Like I said, it doesn’t boost as much. I checked everything else, (leaks) and found no issues. I got to thinking, this part holds the gate shut, but it doesn’t pull it shut hard like the spring. The gate is just loose enough to open slightly. Maybe only a 32th of an inch or less, but still a crack. I decided to modify it again. This time I have a bolt that I can tighten to pull the gate shut.

IMG_2265.jpeg


Put it back on and took it for a test drive. Woohoo! Now the power and boost is back.

That’s not all. For some reason, the EGT never went above 1250 on full throttle. Before my break down, I could reach 1400+ and I wasn’t holding it for long. I don’t really have an explanation for this. It maybe that the truck wasn’t completely warmed up. I will test it again soon.
 
bdkw1 said:
More boost=more airflow=lower EGT.
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I understand that, but it seems to run cooler than before my first mod. I think I have figured it out.

When I pulled it apart to do this second mod, I noticed the clamp that holds the impeller housing to the exhaust housing was as tight as possible, but I could still turn the two housings. I’m refuring to this clamp.

IMG_2262.jpeg



You can see it is tightened right together. That didn’t seem right, so I removed the clamp and squeezed the edges with the vise. I only squeezed it about 20 thou. When I installed it again, it locked the two housings together. Ever since I built this truck, I had soot on that side of the engine. I believe exhaust was leaking here. It doesn’t seem like much could leak, but maybe just a little reduces the drive pressure on the turbo.

In addition, I think the waste gate actuator doesn’t hold the gate closed as tightly as my modification. So these two “fixes” made a noticeable difference in drive pressure.

Anyways, I took it for another test drive. This time I floored the throttle as I went throgh the gears. It excellerated great, but I heard a screech noise when ever the boost was over 26 psi. I hooked up my boost leak plug and put 30 psi to it and immediately felt air leaking at one of the boots to the intercooler. I tightened the clamp and all was good. Another test drive confirmed it was working good. The EGT would not go over 1250 if I held the pedal to the floor at 60 mph. It just excelled up to 70. (Where I let off)

This is very promising, but I will temper my enthusiasm until summertime. Also, I can’t wait to tow my excavator with it. (It was very easy to get high EGTs when towing)
 
WaterH said:
Yea, I drove to Mississippi for a week. Lots of attention from the locals.
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What is it registered as?

My neighbor-state to the South, Utah, has militant LE within a 50 mile radius of SLC.
They stop and inspect vehicles, among other ways, via measuring tape.
And they dress like USMC DIs! :lmao:

billdacat lives way South, but it would be interesting if LE around St George is similar.
 
CDA 455 II said:
What is it registered as?

My neighbor-state to the South, Utah, has militant LE within a 50 mile radius of SLC.
They stop and inspect vehicles, among other ways, via measuring tape.
And they dress like USMC DIs! :lmao:

billdacat lives way South, but it would be interesting if LE around St George is similar.
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It’s registered as a Bronco. The frame and dash plate are from the Bronco it was built on. The tag office told me that is all they can go by. They told me cops can stop me as often as they want to verify those numbers, but there’s nothing they can write me up for. I’ve only been stopped once. I think he just wanted to look at it.
 
WaterH said:
It’s registered as a Bronco. The frame and dash plate are from the Bronco it was built on. The tag office told me that is all they can go by. They told me cops can stop me as often as they want to verify those numbers, but there’s nothing they can write me up for. I’ve only been stopped once. I think he just wanted to look at it.
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Life in a free state. 🇺🇸
 
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